Silence

I occasionally take breaks from speaking to rest my voice (I am a singer by trade). They usually last from one to three days. In times like these I do utter a few (very few) words in certain situations, like to tell the butcher how much of what kind of meat I want, or to answer an important phone call. But, more often than not, I don't say a word in a whole day when I'm on one of these breaks. And they do work wonders for the voice, especially the tired, overworked voice. But they're good for other reasons too.

The less you talk, the more you listen. The more you think.

I'm writing this because I just realized how much I love those days of silence. The freshness of the voice and the depth of the thoughts. So why should I ever resume "normal" talking habits? I'm making silence part of my way of life. Starting now.

As I already mentioned, I've gone for days with almost no words uttered, so I know I won't miss useless talking. My wife already learned to understand me from expressions and gestures alone. If I have anything more complicated to explain to her, I just write it down in a few simple sentences, if that. As for my voice deteriorating from under-stimulation, I'm in no danger of that - I have only given up useless talking, not singing. Better rest between practice sessions and engagements will only make my voice stronger. And it might also make my speaking voice more like my singing voice, in the long run (which is good, since I sing better than I speak).

I highly recommend eliminating useless talking from your life. I know it's not for everybody (I think some people wouldn't be able to keep their mouth shut even for one day), but it works great for naturally introspective individuals. Loners, if you wish.

Think of the all time not wasted on idle chatter. Think of all the space your thoughts will get. Your productivity will increase by quite bit, especially if you were a very talkative person before (I was, believe me). Also, when you do decide to say something, your words will have much more weight (at least to people who know you). If you're a singer or any other kind of professional voice user, there are the voice benefits as well - mainly, the fresher, more beautiful sound and the ability to practice and perform more often.

Try it. Even if your voice is not your life. Try it for just one day. Listen. Think.

Summers are hot. Winters are cold. Get used to it!

Modern Man doesn't want to adapt to his environment. He thinks it is much better to do the exact opposite: adapt everything else to suit his own decadent wants. One of the most obvious examples? Space heating and space cooling technology.

Why are people so sissified when it comes to the range of temperatures in which they feel comfortable? Because they can heat or cool their living spaces whenever they feel like it. And, since they can, they do.

I'm sure you're familiar with the expression "room temperature". Such an expression could only be coined by a society that believes that living spaces should be kept at about the same temperature at all times - day or night, summer or winter. That expression alone shows the whole depth of the problem. We are warm-blooded creatures that behave like cold-blooded ones.

But, alas, excessive comfort breeds weakness.

And to think all our bodies need to adapt to practically anything is a small amount of stimulation. Your comfort zone widens every time you step out of it. This is especially true when it comes to adapting to a wide range of temperatures.

I started building up my resistance to cold this winter (I will write about that in more detail later). What I soon realized is you don't need more than one light layer of clothing when going out, even if the temperature is significantly below 0 °C. Just move around and don't stay out for hours until you've trained yourself for that. My light clothing was attracting some attention, but I didn't get sick or anything. Like an ice bath, it's only cold for the first few minutes. And, after a couple of days of doing this, my unheated living space felt much warmer than before.

As for summers, I never liked air conditioners. It's not that I get headaches from them, like some people do. I just don't like the weird feeling of artificial freshness. So I know from experience how easy it is to adapt to a hot summer in just a few days. While the people around you are still complaining about the heat and the occasional headache, you'll be just fine. You won't even sweat much anymore.

So why deny yourself a chance for growth? Why waste money on needlessly spent energy? Extremely cold? Put on more clothing. Simple as that. Extremely hot? Take a healthy ice bath. You probably won't be hot for the rest of the day.

Owning Less - Less Items vs. Less Volume And Mass

I believe in owning few personal items*. But I don't believe item counting is a good enough method for achieving true freedom from things.

Item counting has long since become a "lowest-score-wins" game among many adherents of a minimalistic lifestyle. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I want to own less because I want more freedom, especially more freedom of movement. I want to be able to fit all my items in one light backpack. Therefore, the number of my items is much less important than their volume and mass.

For example; after writing down all the items I plan on possessing in the near future (after selling all I don't need and buying all I do need), I ended up with a list of 30. Some might think that 30 items would mean a remarkable degree of freedom from things. But not really, because one of these 30 items is my barbell with 110 kg of weight plates added on. I bought it years ago because I love weight training at home. But when it comes to being free from stuff, a hundred small and light items would mean much more freedom than one big and heavy barbell. So a person owning 130 things could be freer than me owning "only" 30. I am currently working on developing the strength necessary to perform some of the more difficult bodyweight exercises. When I succeed, I will not need the barbell and most of the weight plates anymore (I will keep some weight plates and use them as additional resistance).

Clearly, if you are reducing the number, you are also reducing volume and mass. But if you are focusing on the number, you are almost certainly not reducing volume and mass to the best effect. On the other hand, focusig on volume and mass will inevitably optimally reduce the number also.

I do believe item counting can be of some use as a motivational aid for aspiring minimalists. On the other hand, is it wise to waste all that time counting all of your 1000+ items just to find out you have 1000+ items? If you own that much stuff, isn't one look enough to conclude you own too much and wouldn't that time be better spent selling/giving/throwing away? If it takes more than a few minutes to list all your items, you can stop counting and start acting.



* By "personal items" (referred to simply as "items" in the rest of the text) I mean portable possessions. In other words, everything except land, living things, buildings, vehicles and such.

Yesterday: My First Ice Bath - Cold Showers Are For Sissies!

I took my first cold shower some six weeks ago and loved the bursting-with-life feeling it gave me so much that I decided that from that moment on, I would only ever take cold showers. And so I did.

As you can imagine, the experience quickly ceased to be as thrilling as it first was. I still enjoy a cold shower, but I've adapted to it so much that it doesn't feel at all extreme, or even exciting, anymore.

That's why I've decided to take the next step. I took my first ice bath yesterday. And let me tell you something: cold showers are for sissies!

After filling the bathtub with cold water, I added in all the ice I had prepared in the freezer, specifically for this occasion. Ice was floating on the entire surface of the water. I jumped in without any preparation. It was intense. Cold like I've never felt it in my entire life. I grunted with every exhalation. I was shuddering violently. My body started heating up like crazy almost instantly after the immersion. My skin got red, especially on the front of my waist and thighs. But after a minute or so, it wasn't that cold anymore (except in my feet, which felt extremely cold all the time - perhaps because of the distance from the heart - much colder than any other part of my body, including my head, which I also kept in the water).

When all the ice melted and the water got warmer (to my sense, at least - my wife described it as being "freezing cold" after putting a hand in it), I decided to get out of the bathtub. As soon as I rised from the water, I felt a burning sensation, especially on the front of my waist and thighs, where, as I already mentioned, my skin got reddest. I instinctively got back in the water to cool my "burning" skin. Then a thought struck me: That must be the cause behind the paradoxical undressing phenomenon (in a mild manifestation).

"Paradoxical undressing" refers to the action frequently performed by hypothermia victims who, their judgement impaired from the extreme drop in body temperature, start discarding their clothing. After they undress, they often roll around in the snow convinced that their bodies are burning instead of freezing. Needless to say, such behaviour greatly reduces a victim's chances for survival.

When I finally did get out of the water, it felt as if the house was heated to 30 °C at least (when, in fact, it couldn't have been more than 20 °C). I was merrily walking naked around the house, my hair still wet, and was preparing myself a meal rich in carbohydrates, for the bath suddenly made me crave such food (quite understandably, since I had just lost a lot of energy in the form of body heat). I put on some light clothing and started eating. All was normal.

Half an hour later, I began shuddering a little, but, since I wasn't feeling cold, I just ignored it. But very soon the shuddering became so violent it could no longer be ignored. I was shaking so hard my muscles started feeling exhausted from it. Interestingly, I STILL WASN'T FEELING COLD! Anyway, my wife and my own common sense talked me into putting on some heavy clothing and wrapping myself in a heavy blanket. A few minutes after covering up, I was finally starting to feel cold. Half an hour later, the shuddering ceased. Suddenly, I was very sleepy (cold-induced sleepiness - that's the reason the article's title begins with "yesterday" instead of "today").

It appears humans have very flawed instincts for protection from extreme cold. If we're lacking a little body heat, we feel it very clearly (like myself just after entering the bathtub). But if we're lacking lots of it, we start feeling as if we have an overabundance of it (as in the case of paradoxical undressing victims, or, in a milder example, of myself after my ice bath). Is it because we're a race that has evolved primarily in warmer climates, where better instincts for protection from extreme cold never had to be developed?

So there's a valuable lesson: If you were exposed to extreme cold, DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! Obviously, if you'll ever be in an advanced stage of hypothermia (let's hope you won't!), you most likely won't have the presence of mind to recall and adhere to this piece of advice, anyway.

I will continue taking an ice bath at least once a week, to build up my warm-bloodedness. Once I adapt to that, I don't know what the next step might be. And I really don't know whether it would be wise to take it. Something tells me that if it's colder than an optimally prepared ice bath, it's too cold to be a healthy habit.

Feel free to comment, especially if you have any interesting personal experiences with cold showers, cold baths, ice baths or exposure to cold in general.

Sleep On The Floor!

I sleep on the floor. And by "floor" I don't mean a mat, a sleeping bag, or whatnot. I'm talking about a bare wooden floor. And, let me tell you, I really don't understand why I didn't think of it sooner. I've slept in beds almost all my life, so I guess I got so much used to the idea of sleeping on a soft elevated surface that I never bothered to question it. Some time ago, my bed broke and I didn't want to invest in a new one, so I started sleeping on a mattress on the floor. I didn't feel any difference, sleeping half a meter lower than usual (nor did I think I would - what is that half meter of elevation for, anyway?). From then on, I was conscious of beds being useless, but I still didn't dare to question the importance of a comfortably soft sleeping surface. But then, one beautiful day, I had my epiphany. And I decided then and there that needing something as modern (and as disgustingly decadent, too) as a mattress for something as primitive as sleep, was shameful.

My objective was to gradually train myself to be able to sleep wherever sleep was possible. I got rid of the mattress and started sleeping on a comforter on the floor, with a pillow, to make the transition. The first night was tough. I was feeling very uncomfortable and couldn't sleep at all. But then, by the next evening, I was so tired that I fell asleep almost instantly and had no trouble staying asleep until late morning. I woke up feeling great, especially in my spine, where I was feeling a relaxation and de-compression like never before. I didn't have any trouble sleeping on the following nights (I was, actually, sleeping better than before) so I decided to remove the comforter and the pillow. Perhaps a little surprisingly, there was no problem at all. The floor was cold, but I just put on another layer of clothing and it was fine. And I had prepared myself for the removal of the pillow by trying out different pillowless positions during the day on the previous days, so by then I knew which were the most comfortable. I've been sleeping stuff-free most comfortably ever since.



Sleeping this way has numerous advantages:

First of all, is there anything easier to find than a solid horizontal surface? Your sleeping location options get practically limitless. In other words, you can sleep almost anywhere. That is one major step towards true freedom. And you get to feel proud of it, too (and perhaps brag about it to like-minded individuals).

You can own less stuff. No need to own a bed, a mattress, sheets, blankets, pillows, etc. No need to own even a mat, a sleeping bag, a hammock or anything else. Less stuff equals more time, more space, more money and much more freedom. Moving house becomes easier or cheaper once there is no need to transport one of the most cumbersome pieces of furniture of the typical western household (and you might just decide to move once you see that your, now bedless, living space is too large for your needs and you could live just as well in a smaller and cheaper space). Even if you're an adventurer wandering through the wild and carrying all your possessions on your person, your pack will be much lighter without a bedroll. You don't have to buy anything. You don't have to wash sheets, blankets, pillow-cases, etc. and you don't need a place to store them, either. You don't have to make the bed in the morning. Summer nights will be less hot on the cool floor. Also, you will have less dust.

And maybe most important of all: sleeping on hard surfaces is good for the back (the spine, more precisely) as tons of anecdotal evidence (mine included) suggest. I've read about people who cure their back pains by sleeping on the floor for some time. I just don't understand why don't they keep sleeping on the floor since they swear it helps them.

The one drawback is that stupid, narrow-minded people, if they come to know of your habit, will consider you as being weird and perhaps a little crazy and will consequently tend to socialize less with you. Not much of a drawback, is it?